September 25, 2024

                                     Cling to God

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.

– Joshua 1:9

As I write this, Tropical Storm Helene is headed our way. It is expected to intensify into a major hurricane. That means, for us, it will likely be a Category 3 or higher.

We are preparing now. This isn’t our first hurricane. Right now landfall is expected east of us but we know, from experience, that the eye of the hurricane can shift quickly and turn toward us.

Life is like that hurricane. Sometimes we are faced with huge storms not of our making but which we cannot escape. I am thankful for advanced weather detection that allows us to know what’s to come but it doesn’t change what is to come. The storm isn’t going away.

God knows how weak and vulnerable we are at times. He knows what lies ahead far better than anything we could ever predict. Sometimes He doesn’t take away the storm but God always promises to be with us. He will strengthen us and help us as we go through it and as we rebuild from it.

I learned this verse from Joshua many years ago. I had volunteered for VBS and it was the scripture that the children memorized. I hope they have kept it in their hearts. I certainly have.

None of us really know what tomorrow will bring. For some, it’s the hurricane that might take their home and all their material possessions. For others, it might be the life of someone they love, the job they needed or the health they took for granted. But God is there standing with us, strengthening us and reminding us to be strong and courageous.

Bury His word deep in your heart. Cling to Him. God is faithful and He will carry us through whatever is to come.

July 22, 2019

The Road Ahead

So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

– 2 Corinthians 4:18

We cling tightly to the things of today, don’t we? We may want adventure and fun times but mostly we want our lives to stay the same or, at least, grow in a way we can see and embrace.

God doesn’t work that way. He understands that it is in the storms of life that we grow closer to Him and, thus, more like Jesus. If it weren’t for the storms, we would never truly realize how much we need God.

There’s a difference between knowing in your mind that we all need a Savior and knowing in the desperation of a dark night that He is the only One who can heal your shattered heart.

God meets us where we are. It’s such a simple statement. We don’t realize how profound it is until we’re the ones He meets. God is there is the silence of an ICU waiting room in the middle of the night. God is there when people spew lies at you and you don’t think your shattered heart can ever heal. God is there in the hopelessness of job loss, divorce, illness, and a million other things that can happen over the course of a life.

Yes. God is also there in the good times. He celebrates births and marriages and new homes and dream vacations. He applauds our successes and cheers us on. But do we really feel His Presence when everything is going good? Do we truly appreciate what He does for us when life is going exactly as we planned?

Life on this earth will always be filled with peaks and valleys and all those days in between. It’s tempting to lose sight of why we’re here. It’s tempting to believe that we’re in control and everything will always be like we planned. We aren’t in control and life won’t stay the same.

So fix your eyes on what lies ahead. Stay focused on eternity. It helps put today’s struggles and achievements in perspective.

May 26, 2018

Go Boldly Forward

Some, however, made fun of them and said, “They have had too much wine.”

– Acts 2:13

Acts 2 is the story of a group of outcasts who finally find their voice. That’s how our pastor summed up Pentecost and the boldness the Holy Spirit brought to the men and women who were staying in a locked, upper room, praying even as they waited for something they didn’t fully understand.

Your life belongs to God, he told the high school graduates. Put your seatbelt on and get ready. They, of course, have no idea what awaits them. Thursday night they celebrated with family and friends, beginning a new chapter of their lives that is full of possibility and hope.

Some of them will go boldly into their dreams. Others will hold back, uncertain of what God’s calling on their lives really is. Others will seek the approval of those around them, unwilling to venture out into the unknown.

I’ve been reading an autobiography by MercyMe lead singer Bart Millard. He suffered horrific abuse as a child, only to see his Dad come to Christ and change dramatically. That’s the story line, the movie version, of it all.

The rest of the story involves a youth group that welcomed a young man who needed a safe place and a “family” to spend time with him. And it involved people who believed in his voice and, at times, forced him to use his talent. I wonder where he would have ended up without the encouragement and belief of those people.

Even then, Millard thought his journey would be worship leader and youth minister. He saw seminary and a traditional path. God had another plan, intervening in such a way that lead Millard into his destiny.

Was it an easy path? Absolutely not. There was no overnight success story. There was no immediate wealth and fame. There was struggle and perseverance and finetuning God’s gift. There were people to form relationships with and a journey to take.

We are quick most of the time to support someone who is taking a traditional path in life. And there certainly is nothing wrong with that path if it’s what God has called you to. But trying to stuff a square into a circle has never been what God intended. We are each unique. We each have a special calling.

Every moment we waste doing something we weren’t ever intended to do is a moment we can’t get back. Every step we take on a journey the world has called us to is a step away from God’s better plan for our lives. It’s not that He can’t and won’t use us wherever we land. It’s just that God’s plan is perfect and it’s what is best for our lives.

The disciples didn’t understand what awaited them. They only knew they were waiting for God to show them the way and then, with the Holy Spirit filling them up, they stepped boldly forward to proclaim the gospel of Christ. Peter, who had denied Jesus three times and who was only ever trained as a fisherman, became a preacher who led 3,000 to know Jesus. He never again faltered, instead becoming the rock Jesus had called him to be.

What is God’s calling on your life? Go boldly toward it. Don’t let anyone tell you to hold back, to do what is practical, to be someone you aren’t. Your future lies before you. It is filled with promise and hope. Grasp hold of Jesus and take that first step toward God’s plan for your life.

April 30, 2018

Embrace the New Day

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! – 2 Corinthians 5:17

Blackie has a new calf this morning. A new life to celebrate even as we mourn the life that was lost last Saturday.

Nothing can change the past. We can cling to it. We can get so caught up in what-ifs that we miss this new beginning. Or we can move forward, with the lessons of yesterday tucked in our heart, cherishing this new opportunity.

Sometimes we are our own worst enemies. You’ve probably heard that old cliché many times. It doesn’t lesson the truth that it holds. We can’t go back and rewrite history. We can only go forward from this day, living a different life with renewed hope and purpose.

It’s not an easy journey. Don’t let anyone tell you it is. The past can leave painful scars that keep us from trusting, from hoping, from believing that today and all the todays to come will be different. But we can take a deep breath and step into the new life God is calling us to embrace.

We walk by faith. We know that. There are no guarantees that today won’t bring heartbreak. There are no protections from evil except for the strength of Christ that lives within us. He promises to never leave us alone. He guarantees that victory is found in His arms. But sometimes the journey hurts.

Have you made mistakes? We all have. Have you been hurt by people you trusted? We all have. Have you felt the sting of lies and accusations that bore no truth? We all have. But we don’t have to live amidst the rubbish. We can rise above it and move into the plans God has called us to, the good plans He has promised.

It’s easy to get caught up in the what-ifs. It’s easy to want retribution, vindication, revenge on those who did us wrong. It’s easy to want to rewrite the past. But it isn’t what God wants. Revenge belongs to Him. God is clear on that. We are to forgive, to do good, and to move on. He’ll take care of the rest.

We can’t move forward, we can’t embrace this new beginning, while we are clinging to the past. We can’t become new while we are dirty from the last skirmish with the devil. We are in a Spiritual War and Satan is trying to control our minds, our thoughts, our hearts. We must resist and cause him to flee. The Bible tells us so.

The new calf is perfect in every way. He is shiny and new as he stumbles into his first steps of life. His mama is ever watchful, ready to assist but knowing she can’t do it for him. God is like that. He watches over us, never leaving us alone. But we have to take those first steps on our own. We have to reach out, grasp His hand, and walk in faith.

Don’t let the past keep you shrouded in darkness. Move forward into the light of a bright new future, a future God has called you to live.

October 29, 2014

Hope Can Be Elusive

but those who hope in the LORD

will renew their strength.

They will soar on wings like eagles;

they will run and not grow weary,

they will walk and not be faint.

-- Isaiah 40:31

Sometimes the mountain just seems so high, impossible to navigate. You cry out to God. Again and again. Silence. No help comes. Hope dims. Your Bible is ever present, your prayers desperate, pleading. Fatigue sets in. When will it end? Will it end?

The Bible tells us to hope in the Lord. We have Biblical hope. Those who know Jesus as Lord and Savior know that our future is with Him. We are saved. We are forgiven. We are surrounded by love and mercy. Hope. No matter who we are or what we've done.

Then there is the real life, day to day stresses that sometimes just seem so overwhelming. You beg God for just a shimmer of hope. Just something to go right. Just one break to show He's still there, still paying attention, still cares. Where is He?

God never leaves us. He never abandons us. He never gives up on us. And we shouldn't give up on Him. God has good plans for us, plans to prosper us and not to harm us. Plans to give us hope and a future. Good things. Hope. A future. Hold on to that. When hope seems elusive, hold on to that.